Al Green is a self-described river rat. Born in Forrest City, Arkansas, about an hour from the Mississippi River, Green’s family later moved to Michigan before Green’s career caught fire in his late teens. Green released this song in 1974 on the album called Explores Your Mind. Like many folks of a certain generation, though, I first heard this song via the Talking Heads and the cover they released in 1978 on More Songs About Buildings and Food. Today, we go back to the original. Here’s Al Green’s first version of Take Me to the River.